(judge88, how long have you been running on that fix????)



all last racing season till now. i have the head off and i just checked it and it hasnt moved at all. probally had 150 or so passes on th 1/4 mile with it.

I probably should not post yet, but here goes. I have added a picture that some may have already seen. It was taken by the track photographer at Houston Raceway Park on 9/24/2006. He was just taking cool shots of vehicles on the track at sunset. But he also caught my rear freeze plug in mid air before it hit the track. You can also see the coolant pouring out on the track. This picture is at the 1/8 mile point. I did not know it happened until I slowed down at the end of the quarter and saw the engine temp gauge buried. That run was 12.81s @ 106mph.

Wreckered it to HotRodDiesels and had a new freeze plug put in with a cap. Engine seemed ok, ran good. Made the DHRA event a couple weeks later. Had some good runs on that Saturday, couple in the high 12s. Made another trip to the track late October and made two passes with my normal street stack and ran 13.1s quarter.

Then I noticed an ugly smell and was hoping just residue burning off engine and exhaust from before. Finally started looking. Smell is from the blow by tube, I know the smell. Can feel engine compression cycles with the oil filler cap off and see that ugly white smoke kind of oozing out. Started using about a quart of oil every 2,500 miles or so and it is not a head gasket problem. So I am pretty sure there is major piston and cylinder damage if not more(valves, seats, etc.). Unfortunately it caught me at a very bad time money wise. So far it runs fine, even getting the best mileage it has ever gotten. I drive it daily and will until it blows or I get flush again.

When I do find out how bad it is I will post it, that is what I was going to wait and do, but this thread seems appropriate for now. Just posting to show that the freeze plug can be a major problem at the wrong time.

I have well over 200 hard track runs over the last two years and have seen high EGTs for a second or so with no problems. But engine temp 250+* and high EGTs with your foot on the floor can and should be catostrophic.

http://dodgetruckworld.tenmagazines....ude/323588.jpg

ramwheelsby4,
thats stinks man i hope your engine is ok. i guess i got lucky because mine blew right at the end and the engine temps never raised believe it or not.

If you want a quick fix just stick one of these in there...
expandable rubber freeze plug- I don't know how long it would last tho.[laugh]

John, I was gonna pm you but since you are here...
I talked to Michel at HRD and he said he would fab me up a plate and hopefully have it here by the weekend so I can put it on with my trans dropped. Actually if the clutch beats it here I will have to wait.

BTW Michel is a great guy and while I had him on the phone he also went ahead and gave me instructions for intalling the freeze plug cap, clutch intall, AND head studding a motor. Hes supposed to call me later this week but you were right he is an awsome guy. Thanks for the help and as always pointing me in the right direction.

Did you not look at your temp gauge yourself before getting on the go pedal?Or were you not driving

Sounds like you got yourself a pretty wicked ride when you get all the bugs worked out.

Good luck.

i wondered the samething:rolleyes:.

I dont think he was there when they tested the truck, dont sound like he was

I was in the passenger seat.

Tim, I hope the brass pins out works for you. The truck not being warmed up is the problem. If the thermastat is closed and the revs go to WOT the waterpump pressurizes the coolant ducts well above what an aluminum press in plug can handle so they pop. An engine that has had alot of very hot and cold temperatures together with a closed thermastat are susceptible of the plugs popping. The cold block compresses the plug then the very hot block expands and the thin wall aluminum plug loses grip. The thermastat is not open and the block is not hot until you are flowing lots of heat from the heater core or the truck has run for at least 15 minutes with load....not idling. It takes about 10 minutes to pop the thermastat out and clip the brass pins off. I drilled mine slighly larger about 3/16.....just to be sure. The engine takes a little longer to warm and the mileage might drop a tiny bit but its worth it. ks

I was going to mess with my fittings but I think I can allways remember to warm up my truck extra so this kind of thing does not happen. My mechanic swears he warmed it up really good but I was around the dealership and I dont think he idled it for 10 minutes plus and drove it for 20 minutes it was probably 10min idle 10min driving. I from now on will allways warm up my truck before driving untill the vents are pumping HOT air. Then I will drive around for a whille before the pedal hits 3/4 throttle.

abc, do you have any pics of what exactly to do with the thermostat?
Is that as good of a fix as putting a plate over the plug?

I am waiting on a plate but if my clutch beats it here it is gonna be hard to wait on the plate and not put the clutch in, and I am not goin to pull the trans just to put the plate in, if the clutch is already in.

Wap, it does relieve press across the thermostat. Takes about 10mins to do. Drain a little coolant from radiator petcock , pull 3 x 8mm bolts from thermotat neck, pull thermostat out and use side cutters to cut the brass barbells from stat, reinstall in reverse. No gaskets needed or anything. It will take longer to warm up. Tim

That will fix the problem if it is caused by closed thermostat pressure built up with hard high rpm run.

I believe that mine was warmed up and that the thermostat was not closed during my run when mine blew. I am very aware of running without having the engine at full operating temp. I will spend 5-10 minutes driving return roads to keep my engine temp up before I do a run. I guess mine could have cooled down ennough to close, but I don't think so. Just something to think about.

I agree about having it warm before hitting it. If the engine is warm and the thermostat cycles closed after allowing cool water in, it might not cycle open quick enough on a wot pass to prevent overpressureing the head. With the small brass plugs out of the thermostat it allows coolant to circulate even if the it is closed completely. Tim